RESIDENTS living near the Jalan Koop Cuepacs in Taman Puteri Cheras are against the road-widening project in the area.

The road is being widened from two lanes to four and this has caused the walk path and trees along the road to make way for the project.

The pedestrians, especially the students and senior citizens will now have to share the road along with the heavy traffic flow once the road-widening project is completed in April next year.

Joint residents association chairman Rama Krishnan said the project was only going to increase the traffic flow along the route where a primary school is located and would also serve as an alternative route for motorists to avoid paying at the Batu 9 toll plaza on the Kuala Lumpur-Kajang highway.

“Even before the road-widening project, the two-lane road is heavily choked with traffic. The situation is going to get worse,’’ said Rama.

He said when the project was first announced, the RA proposed to the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) to extend and construct a by-pass from Jalan Awana and through an allocated development land to join Jalan Cheras under the existing flyover.

Since that announcement, the various RAs, senior citizens and the RTs have been in constant correspondence with Fadilah Razali, the council’s assistant engineer.

Rama said they had also been highlighting their problems since 2004 for a long-term solution on various issues but nothing came out of it.

“This is to overcome the daily traffic snarl on the existing road through Jalan Medan Masria and Jalan Koop Cuepacs 3. We made several proposals through letters to MPKj and also feedback on the Draft Local Plan of Kajang Municipality 2020 for the construction of new access roads.

“However, we are disappointed that we were not consulted on any development project,’’ said Rama.

He said the extension of the road to four lanes opposite the SK Taman Cuepacs had also deprived the schoolchildren of safe waiting areas and the senior citizens of a safe walking path.

While the road-widening is being carried out, resident S. Selvanathan said the bus-shelter which had to be relocated closer to his perimeter wall to accommodate the project, was giving him sleepless nights.

Selvanathan, a victim of house break-ins, said moving the bus shelter closer to the perimeter wall was like inviting another break-in.

C.Y Tan of Taman Fern Grove said apart from daily traffic problems, the residents faced other problems and would request for a meeting with MPKj to discuss the issues plaguing them so that they were addressed.

Tan said roads in the housing areas, which were originally closed and meant only for access for residents, were now open for outside traffic.